1. < Depression & Anxiety

Tips on minimizing withdrawal symptoms from Effexor (aka Venlafaxine)

Posted by richyrich @richyrich, Nov 2, 2016

I have been taking Effexor/Venlafaxine for years and tried to get off it a few times but each time I try to give up the chemical withdrawal symptoms are a horror story and I give up giving up. Anyone got any tips or tried and tested strategies? Thank you

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Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Jul 10, 2018

Xanax, a dangerous tranquilizer is another Benzodiazepine like Effexor and many are difficult to get off of. I don’t know why docs give patients more addictive (To some people) Benzos.

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dianrib | @dianrib | Jul 10, 2018
In reply to @lisalucier "@taylorwatkins13 -- I think that's a good plan to have your friend take you to urgent..." + (show)
@lisalucier

@taylorwatkins13 -- I think that's a good plan to have your friend take you to urgent care. Good to also have a friend in the loop and looking out for you during a tapering process, since it can be a bumpy road.

Will you post an update on how it goes?

Jump to this post

Sad that many times folks who are supposed to' help' do not for whatever reason Lack of knowledge or time

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Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Jul 10, 2018

If it were me I’d never cut the Effexor in half. I’d take it slower. But that’s me. Good luck everyone.

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1 reply
portuguesegirl | @portuguesegirl | Jul 10, 2018
In reply to @coloradogirl "So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked..." + (show)
@coloradogirl

So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked for me. Your mileage may vary, but hopefully these are low risk for you to try.

1) You may need to ask your doctor for a slower tapering program than other patients. Some people are just more sensitive to dosage changes. Be aware that symptoms will get better, then may reappear each time you taper. AAFMA (practice group of family physicians) says that the symptoms typically last 1-2 weeks and as long as 4 weeks, so I just kept reminding myself that it was temporary.
2) Be watchful for things that make your symptoms worse. For example, caffeine seems to trigger the brain zaps for me (still, even after being off for several weeks), so I cut back my caffeine intake. I didn't give it up completely (because I still need to function), but cut back on how much real coffee I was drinking, mixed decaf with regular, and switched to tea sometimes. In the end, I probably cut my daily caffeine intake in half, and it did help quite a lot.
3) Ibuprofen or other pain reliever can help with the flu-like body aches.
4) Benadryl helped with the brain zaps.
5) Exercise helped with both. Even if I wasn't up to a run, a few blocks of walking would settle down the symptoms for a while at least. (Then, when they come back, just take another walk. We took a lot of walks for a while there).
6) Get enough sleep. As I came down off the meds, my normal sleeping patterns returned, which was great, but it did mean that I needed to plan time to let my body rest.
7) Pay attention to your diet. Your brain uses carbs to make seratonin, so now is not the time to go on the Atkins diet. Eat well and make sure you're getting enough healthy carbs. You may crave sweets; I certainly did. I tried to counteract this by having bananas, graham crackers, and other healthy things I could snack on instead of sticking my head in a birthday cake like I seemed to want.

No lie - it's a painful process, but this did really help make it easier. Also, at a certain point, when I was down the below the normal starter dose, I just ripped off the bandaid and went to zero. At that point, it felt like each taper was just prolonging the suffering. Don't just go cold turkey from your current dose, though, as that can be dangerous. Also, don't add any supplements or substitutes for the SSRI without talking to your doctor first (also dangerous).

And of course, watch for the return of depression / anxiety type symptoms. For a while it was hard to tell whether I was tired because of the change in meds or because my depression was returning. I figured as long as I felt okay enough to function and wasn't thinking about being harmful to myself or anyone else, I could play it out and see. It turned out to be the meds and on the other side, I can see that I was more worried about it than I needed to be.

I wish you the best of luck and a healthy life.

Mardee

Jump to this post

Hi, your way of tapering off is similar to the way I began trying to do several days ago but I am suffering from nausea, nightmares, dizziness, and in short just feeling quite crappy. I was taking 150 mgs and didn't have any problem dropping down to 75, which I have been doing for a few months but now that I'm trying to take just the 75 every other day its taking it's toll. I am afraid to tell my dr. because he seems to want to write a prescription for everything and gets a little bristled if I mention that I want to change things. My PA that I saw for years in another state told me how to wean off of Paxil like you are doing so I thought I would try it this way but I seem to be having a hard time from the start. I was hoping I could do like he instructed and go to two days in between taking the meds for 2 weeks, then go to 3 days for 2 weeks, etc. until I could just stop but....its hard just skipping only 1 day. Hummm.

REPLY
Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Jul 10, 2018
In reply to @coloradogirl "So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked..." + (show)
@coloradogirl

So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked for me. Your mileage may vary, but hopefully these are low risk for you to try.

1) You may need to ask your doctor for a slower tapering program than other patients. Some people are just more sensitive to dosage changes. Be aware that symptoms will get better, then may reappear each time you taper. AAFMA (practice group of family physicians) says that the symptoms typically last 1-2 weeks and as long as 4 weeks, so I just kept reminding myself that it was temporary.
2) Be watchful for things that make your symptoms worse. For example, caffeine seems to trigger the brain zaps for me (still, even after being off for several weeks), so I cut back my caffeine intake. I didn't give it up completely (because I still need to function), but cut back on how much real coffee I was drinking, mixed decaf with regular, and switched to tea sometimes. In the end, I probably cut my daily caffeine intake in half, and it did help quite a lot.
3) Ibuprofen or other pain reliever can help with the flu-like body aches.
4) Benadryl helped with the brain zaps.
5) Exercise helped with both. Even if I wasn't up to a run, a few blocks of walking would settle down the symptoms for a while at least. (Then, when they come back, just take another walk. We took a lot of walks for a while there).
6) Get enough sleep. As I came down off the meds, my normal sleeping patterns returned, which was great, but it did mean that I needed to plan time to let my body rest.
7) Pay attention to your diet. Your brain uses carbs to make seratonin, so now is not the time to go on the Atkins diet. Eat well and make sure you're getting enough healthy carbs. You may crave sweets; I certainly did. I tried to counteract this by having bananas, graham crackers, and other healthy things I could snack on instead of sticking my head in a birthday cake like I seemed to want.

No lie - it's a painful process, but this did really help make it easier. Also, at a certain point, when I was down the below the normal starter dose, I just ripped off the bandaid and went to zero. At that point, it felt like each taper was just prolonging the suffering. Don't just go cold turkey from your current dose, though, as that can be dangerous. Also, don't add any supplements or substitutes for the SSRI without talking to your doctor first (also dangerous).

And of course, watch for the return of depression / anxiety type symptoms. For a while it was hard to tell whether I was tired because of the change in meds or because my depression was returning. I figured as long as I felt okay enough to function and wasn't thinking about being harmful to myself or anyone else, I could play it out and see. It turned out to be the meds and on the other side, I can see that I was more worried about it than I needed to be.

I wish you the best of luck and a healthy life.

Mardee

Jump to this post

@portuguesegirl
Lower your dose but take it for a week lower it again for another week etc. your body needs to
Your body needs time to adjust to a lower dose and don’t cut it very much at a time. I guarantee you’ll succeed. Slow but sure. Don’t try lowering it everyday or every other day, eventually it may catch up and cause symptoms but if you cut back slowly enough your body won’t miss it. BUT YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT TIME. If you have taken it a long time you may want to cut down even slower. Quite a few people have been given Xanax to ease symptoms but I advise against because then your taking two Benzodiazepines instead of one, and one is hard enough to come off of let alone two. BEST OF LUCK AND REMEMBER, SLOW IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS!!! Inch by inch anything’s a cinch.

REPLY
bonnie01 | @bonnie01 | Jul 10, 2018

Hello - I have been taking Effexor for nearly 20 years, got up to 225 mg per day and am now almost off. It has been so difficult, I felt it might help others to share some insights. First of all, I put this whole process off until I retired from teaching, because when I tried to get off before, the emotional effects of tapering were not conductive to my work. Also, I live in Alaska and have dark winters so I waited until May of this year, with the light returning, to begin again, a SLOW taper. It has taken me nearly 8 weeks so far; I am on my last week. Having the TIME and SUPPORT and especially the LIGHT have helped my progress. My husband and close friends are aware of the side effects (nightmares, dizziness, anxiety, upset stomach, etc.) and give me a great deal of support. I take the time to walk or ride my bike; the physical exercise and drinking lots of water seem to help the most. Also, finding creative, fun projects to lose myself in are helpful, just so there are not any high expectations to cause anxiety. Knowing, by reading the posts here, that these symptoms are temporary, has also empowered me to keep going. Once I am totally off, I vow to never take this drug again. If the winter gets rough, I will go to counseling again and if absolutely necessary, find another medication. But never again Effexor. Best of luck to each person who is on this journey. It IS hard, but it is possible. Right?

REPLY
1 reply
lindaeb13 | @lindaeb13 | Jul 11, 2018
In reply to @coloradogirl "So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked..." + (show)
@coloradogirl

So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked for me. Your mileage may vary, but hopefully these are low risk for you to try.

1) You may need to ask your doctor for a slower tapering program than other patients. Some people are just more sensitive to dosage changes. Be aware that symptoms will get better, then may reappear each time you taper. AAFMA (practice group of family physicians) says that the symptoms typically last 1-2 weeks and as long as 4 weeks, so I just kept reminding myself that it was temporary.
2) Be watchful for things that make your symptoms worse. For example, caffeine seems to trigger the brain zaps for me (still, even after being off for several weeks), so I cut back my caffeine intake. I didn't give it up completely (because I still need to function), but cut back on how much real coffee I was drinking, mixed decaf with regular, and switched to tea sometimes. In the end, I probably cut my daily caffeine intake in half, and it did help quite a lot.
3) Ibuprofen or other pain reliever can help with the flu-like body aches.
4) Benadryl helped with the brain zaps.
5) Exercise helped with both. Even if I wasn't up to a run, a few blocks of walking would settle down the symptoms for a while at least. (Then, when they come back, just take another walk. We took a lot of walks for a while there).
6) Get enough sleep. As I came down off the meds, my normal sleeping patterns returned, which was great, but it did mean that I needed to plan time to let my body rest.
7) Pay attention to your diet. Your brain uses carbs to make seratonin, so now is not the time to go on the Atkins diet. Eat well and make sure you're getting enough healthy carbs. You may crave sweets; I certainly did. I tried to counteract this by having bananas, graham crackers, and other healthy things I could snack on instead of sticking my head in a birthday cake like I seemed to want.

No lie - it's a painful process, but this did really help make it easier. Also, at a certain point, when I was down the below the normal starter dose, I just ripped off the bandaid and went to zero. At that point, it felt like each taper was just prolonging the suffering. Don't just go cold turkey from your current dose, though, as that can be dangerous. Also, don't add any supplements or substitutes for the SSRI without talking to your doctor first (also dangerous).

And of course, watch for the return of depression / anxiety type symptoms. For a while it was hard to tell whether I was tired because of the change in meds or because my depression was returning. I figured as long as I felt okay enough to function and wasn't thinking about being harmful to myself or anyone else, I could play it out and see. It turned out to be the meds and on the other side, I can see that I was more worried about it than I needed to be.

I wish you the best of luck and a healthy life.

Mardee

Jump to this post

@dbrown72
I’m sorry you feel so awful, I’m not there yet but will be shortly. Good luck! I’m weaning off Venaflexine 150mg (generic Effexor) & started taking Trintellix the same time I started to wean off. I have been having terrible headaches every day! My anxiety is back more often (still had it on the Vevaflezine 150mg & had no emotion, hence the reason I’m switching). I’m a crier and I couldn’t shed a tear for any amount of money, I don’t like being so flat. That’s why my dr, is switching me. I only have these horrible headaches & sometimes whole body aches! I need to have the Trintellix to kick in and really help my daily uncomfortable anxiety. I hope your doing better by the time you read this!

REPLY
dbrown72 | @dbrown72 | Jul 11, 2018
In reply to @coloradogirl "So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked..." + (show)
@coloradogirl

So, I just finished this process with Zoloft (sertraline) and here are some things that worked for me. Your mileage may vary, but hopefully these are low risk for you to try.

1) You may need to ask your doctor for a slower tapering program than other patients. Some people are just more sensitive to dosage changes. Be aware that symptoms will get better, then may reappear each time you taper. AAFMA (practice group of family physicians) says that the symptoms typically last 1-2 weeks and as long as 4 weeks, so I just kept reminding myself that it was temporary.
2) Be watchful for things that make your symptoms worse. For example, caffeine seems to trigger the brain zaps for me (still, even after being off for several weeks), so I cut back my caffeine intake. I didn't give it up completely (because I still need to function), but cut back on how much real coffee I was drinking, mixed decaf with regular, and switched to tea sometimes. In the end, I probably cut my daily caffeine intake in half, and it did help quite a lot.
3) Ibuprofen or other pain reliever can help with the flu-like body aches.
4) Benadryl helped with the brain zaps.
5) Exercise helped with both. Even if I wasn't up to a run, a few blocks of walking would settle down the symptoms for a while at least. (Then, when they come back, just take another walk. We took a lot of walks for a while there).
6) Get enough sleep. As I came down off the meds, my normal sleeping patterns returned, which was great, but it did mean that I needed to plan time to let my body rest.
7) Pay attention to your diet. Your brain uses carbs to make seratonin, so now is not the time to go on the Atkins diet. Eat well and make sure you're getting enough healthy carbs. You may crave sweets; I certainly did. I tried to counteract this by having bananas, graham crackers, and other healthy things I could snack on instead of sticking my head in a birthday cake like I seemed to want.

No lie - it's a painful process, but this did really help make it easier. Also, at a certain point, when I was down the below the normal starter dose, I just ripped off the bandaid and went to zero. At that point, it felt like each taper was just prolonging the suffering. Don't just go cold turkey from your current dose, though, as that can be dangerous. Also, don't add any supplements or substitutes for the SSRI without talking to your doctor first (also dangerous).

And of course, watch for the return of depression / anxiety type symptoms. For a while it was hard to tell whether I was tired because of the change in meds or because my depression was returning. I figured as long as I felt okay enough to function and wasn't thinking about being harmful to myself or anyone else, I could play it out and see. It turned out to be the meds and on the other side, I can see that I was more worried about it than I needed to be.

I wish you the best of luck and a healthy life.

Mardee

Jump to this post

@lindaeb13 thank you. I've been only on Trintellix now for a few weeks. I still have my ups and downs though. I started on 5mg Trintellix and now am at 10mg Trintellix daily. The transition was horrible to say the least, but I've had a lot going on with my life. I broke up with an emotionally abusive boyfriend, lost my job and things are crashing down around me it seems, but I've been able to keep it together. Not sure if I could without any medication. Good luck with your transition. I had that flat feeling while on Celexa. I still get headaches, but not sure what they're from. I would never recommend Effexor to anyone just due to the effects of going off of them. Have a great day!

REPLY
Moderator
Lisa Lucier, Moderator | @lisalucier | Jul 11, 2018

Hi, everyone -- as there have been a number of mentions in this discussion of cutting tablets or splitting capsules of venlafaxine (Effexor), we asked a Mayo Clinic pharmacist for some input. Here is what she had to say:

Each patient should consult their clinician for individualized recommendations for tapering off antidepressant medications. Tapers should be individualized with consideration for the specific medication to be tapered, current dose, how long they have been taking the medication and other factors based on the clinicians expertise.

In some cases tablets may be split. Capsules should never be split. Removal of beads from capsules to accomplish titration is not a recommended method of tapering. Taper schedules can extend for several weeks if the patient's situation requires a slower taper. Tapers are sometimes shortened in the case of adverse effects or other patient factors.

You can read more about antidepressant withdrawl here https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/antidepressant-withdrawal/faq-20058133.

REPLY
patricia1955 | @patricia1955 | Jul 11, 2018

This is my weaning schedule which I followed and can say I thought I was going to die! Effexor - went from 300 to 150 for four days then 75 for four days then 37 1/2 for 6 days. At the same time I was weaning off Atavan and Amitryptaline. Towards the end he introduced Trintellix and Neurontin. I have been so sick, mentally and physically. I went almost all day without a headache today. I still cry, exhausted, ruminating and feeling like I will never laugh again. But I was in such bad emotional shape with the drugs I was on that I stayed in my house for six years.
I kept promising my mom a trip when I felt better, but I never felt better. My mom died on Valentines Day I never took her anywhere. I am sobbing just writing this. I have PTSD and MDD. I have battled to stay alive for 63 yrs., now after losing so much of life I really hope this works.
I have never been so sick but I will do anything to get better. I can't sleep because of the pain in my head, ruminating, restlessness. I see my psychiatrist tomorrow. I go to bed at night and ask that tomorrow will be better.
Sorry for rambling, drugs, pain and a broken heart.

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